Old Turtle was of a tiny stature. He was much smaller than Coffin Man. His back was bent at an angle and even with the help of a walking stick, he was shaking all over.
“Since Appraiser Lin isn’t home, I guess this is my fate,” Old Turtle commented in a hoarse voice. All these years he had suffered too much. Just like Madam Ghost Child and Coffin Man, he had used a taboo art – symbiosis, to keep his pet beast alive.
However, as his capability and cultivation level were below Ghost Child and Old Coffin’s, the effect on him was great, so great that he was on death’s door.
Old Turtle even had a feeling he may not be able to see the light of day.
Old Coffin looked dispirited as well. He had brought Old Turtle all the way to Maple City, hoping that Appraiser Lin could save him. Who wouldn’t feel bad for walking away empty-handed in such a situation?
If he were the reason that Old Turtle couldn’t live past tonight, Coffin Man would never be able to forgive himself.
“Is Appraiser Lin really not coming back tonight?” Coffin Man couldn’t help asking again.
Little Five shook her head while Shang’er explained, “Master Lin didn’t tell us how long he would be gone but in most cases, he would return earliest by tomorrow morning, or latest by tomorrow night, barring unforeseen circumstances.”
Shang’er wasn’t making baseless assumptions. Lin Jin did have this habit because he would opt to cultivate sometimes and then choose to travel overnight, arriving home in the morning.
So there was no guarantee that Lin Jin was coming back soon.
Coffin Man knew that Old Turtle wouldn’t be able to wait that long given his condition.
Shang’er could tell that they were here for a treatment request. Although Lin Jin wasn’t a doctor, if it concerned pet beasts, seeking Lin Jin’s help was the right move.
After giving it some thought, Shang’er suddenly asked, “While I’m unsure that Master Lin will return tonight, if you’re alright with it, maybe I can take a look at this poor soul?”
Coffin Man and Old Turtle were stunned.
Perhaps assuming the two men were underestimating her sister, Little Five said, “Shang’er is Master Lin’s first disciple. If you’re not willing to consider her assistance, then forget about saving him.”
Shang’er turned to shoot Little Five a glare. The latter seemed indignant because she wasn’t wrong by any means.
Old Coffin thought to himself, ‘Since Appraiser Lin is Curator’s disciple, that makes Miss Shang’er Curator’s grand disciple, so she must be capable as well. Maybe she can pull it off? At least it’s still an attempt, even if it’s a desperate one.’
Thus, he bowed and said, “Well then, please help us take a look, Miss Shang’er.”
Old Turtle didn’t object to it either. He was already dying anyway. If Old Coffin hadn’t forcefully dragged him here, Old Turtle would be making arrangements for his own funeral by now. He just had to let her inspect him, so there wasn’t any particular reason to object to the decision either.
Over the past few decades, he had sought out too many doctors, took too many medicines, so he obviously didn’t mind giving it one final shot.
Shang’er was a little nervous.
She had indeed learned a lot from Lin Jin, particularly from the books Lin Jin had collected or wrote himself. She had read and re-read these books countless times, not to mention how frequently she helped out at the Beast Appraisal Association.
Still, this was her first time diagnosing someone else’s pet beast.
Frankly speaking, she felt anxious. Coffin Man explained to her Old Turtle’s condition before removing the shirt on Old Turtle’s back. The sight underneath the shirt startled both Shang’er and Little Five.
Stuck almost completely on Old Turtle’s back was a large turtle.
However, due to severe dehydration, the large turtle now seemed like dried fish and had practically fused into Old Turtle’s flesh, making them one of the same body. It was no wonder Old Turtle had a hunched back this whole time.
A scene like this would have struck a normal person dumb, but Shang’er and Little Five weren’t normal human beings. Though shocked, they didn’t panic, especially Shang’er. She had heard Coffin Man’s explanation and knew about the taboo symbiosis practice as well. She also had the knowledge gained from reading and learning from Lin Jin. After giving it some thought, she had Little Five fetch her own set of needles.
Shang’er practiced acupuncture too.
Other than seeking Lin Jin’s guidance, Shang’er had learned it on her own for the most part. In the past, when Lin Jin had nothing to do, he would pen down some of the key tricks to the pulse-seeking technique into a book. Shang’er had read that book over a dozen times now so it was safe to say that she knew a thing or two about the pulse-seeking technique. Her skill level obviously couldn’t compare to Lin Jin’s but she had at least a basic knowledge of medicine and acupuncture.
To treat Old Turtle’s condition, the symbiosis link had to be severed. Keeping both the host and pet beast alive would be the ultimate goal and to achieve that, the pulse-seeking technique was required.
Despite her nervousness, Shang’er had the following procedures all planned out in her mind. She believed that Master Lin would have the same plan as she did if he were here. The only difference would be in terms of their technique.
Had Lin Jin actually been here, he would surely be shocked by Shang’er’s treatment method. Although there were slight flaws, her decisions were mostly correct.
In most cases, that was how life worked. If one were to venture down the right path, success hinged on skill and most importantly, luck.
If Lin Jin was here, he wouldn’t have taken the risk and let Shang’er treat Old Turtle. It was a shame he wasn’t here, especially when the patient was hours away from his death.
Shang’er had made her decision swiftly and begun making preparations to severe the symbiosis link.
At that moment, Lin Jin was on his eagle, flying toward the royal capital.
An eagle beast could cover two thousand miles in one night. On average, it would have taken at least ten days to travel from Reed City to the royal capital on foot. With an eagle beast, one could arrive before the sun even rose over the horizon.
Initially, Lin Jin didn’t want to return to the royal capital. However, his purpose was to visit the Beast Appraisal Association Headquarters and to investigate the Demonic Appraisal Association. He had no other choice.
The eagle beast Lin Jin got from Lu Bin was slightly different from the rest. This creature possessed the ‘royal family’s seal’, and according to Lu Bin, the eagle was legally allowed to fly directly into the capital without the need to stop at the walls.
Lin Jin gave it a try and sure enough, it worked.
The royal capital was several times larger than Maple City or Reed City. The eagle circled in the sky a few times until Lin Jin located the Beast Appraisal Association Headquarters. Upon doing so, he gave the command to land.
The appraisers at headquarters worked according to a shift schedule as well. However, those on the night shift rarely had much to do and even if they did, such tasks were usually left to apprentices.
Tonight, the appraiser on shift was woken up from his nap by a frantic knock on his door.
“What is it?” asked the slightly plump man who was visibly still groggy from his nap. His irritation was reflected in his facial expression. Everyone would be just as irked to be woken up in the middle of the night.
“Appraiser Ouyang, the chief of Maple City’s branch is requesting for some files,” an apprentice announced from outside.
“So what if he’s a branch chief? What time does he think it is to be asking for files? This is headquarters, not their measly little city branch.” Appraiser Ouyang sounded aggrieved. He hadn’t been sleeping well lately and it caused him to suffer a constant migraine. Although he was only a Rank 1 beast appraiser, he was a Rank 1 beast appraiser of headquarters. Even the branch chiefs had to show him respect so Appraiser Ouyang thought nothing of their sudden visitor.
Under normal circumstances, he may have shown some courtesy to these branch chiefs but not today, for he was angry.
“Let him wait!” Having lost his temper, Appraiser Ouyang decided to make things hard for his visitor.
Clearly aware of Appraiser Ouyang’s temper, the apprentice outside urged out of goodwill, “Sir the branch chief I’m talking about is a Rank 3 beast appraiser.”